On 02-28-20, the victim (a female) responded to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office to report that she was possibly being stalked.
The victim told detectives she had taken her vehicle to an Auto Body Shop in Pasco County on 02-26-20 to have a mechanic put it on a lift to check the underside of the vehicle for a tracking device of some sort. The mechanic located a tracking device on the undercarriage of the victim’s vehicle. The device was removed immediately. The mechanic provided the victim with a work order, confirming that a device had been located on the vehicle.
The victim provided the tracking device and the work order to detectives.
The victim told detectives she believed she was being stalked by a female, and the female was somehow tracking her travels. The victim believed this, as she (the victim) would receive text messages that included information regarding her current location.
Through a subpoena, detectives identified the subscriber of the device as David C. Vernon of Brooksville. The device was activated on 06-06-19 and disconnected 02-29-20.
Detectives made note of the fact that the device was disconnected the day after the victim responded to the Sheriff’s Office with it, to make the report.
When detectives asked the victim if she knew Vernon, she stated that she did know him and had previously been in a relationship with him. The victim told detectives, at first she thought it may have been Vernon who was tracking and texting her but then convinced herself that he was not that type of person.
On 06-03-20, David Vernon was interviewed by detectives at the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Initially, Vernon denied placing the tracking device on the victim’s car. When confronted with the physical evidence that detectives had in their possession, Vernon became visibly distressed. Vernon then admitted to placing the device on the undercarriage of the victim’s vehicle in October of 2019.
Vernon told detectives he parked his vehicle in the street, away from the victim’s driveway, and walked up to the victim’s vehicle, which was parked in the driveway, to initially place the device. He would then go through the same process to replace the battery and charger, as needed.
Vernon acknowledged that he and the victim were no longer in a relationship with each other, but told detectives he monitored her whereabouts because he loved her’.
Detectives placed Vernon under arrest, charging him as follows:
– Burglary of Conveyance (9 counts)
o Bond – $45,000
– Stalking/Dating Violence
o No Bond.
Additional charges are pending.
